David Kelly’s Curated Content for the Week of 10/03/16

I read through a number of articles and blog posts each day, and every Monday I curate a few of my favorites for members of the eLearning Guild Community, and for the learning and performance field as a whole. Each shared resource includes a brief introduction explaining why I find the link to be of value and recommend you read it.

Here’s the content for this week:

How to Easily Evaluate the Quality of Research by Jesse Lyn StonerWe are constantly being presented with articles, blog posts, and other content that includes the phrase “studies show”. While some of those stories are completely valid, a growing number of them are using data in manners that are manipulative and borderline unethical. This article describes, in simple terms, a number of questions you should ask when reading about research, and things you can look for to validate any studies you are examining. This is a must read.

Can A Video Game Teach Designers To Build Better Cities? by John BrownleeAs we continue to explore the value of games for learning, I am fascinated by some of the examples that are emerging. This article highlights a new game called Block’hood, which seems to take the sandlot building space idea of Minecraft and apply it to the building of a single city block. The game allows players to learn about the complex ecosystem that needs to be maintained in urban planning. More importantly, I share this article because it brings to light the different ways people can learn by playing the game.

Facebook Set to Launch ‘Facebook at Work’ Next Month by Andrew HutchinsonOver the last few years I have heard many people talking about the value of social learning, and the potential of social collaboration software. The phrase “it’s like facebook, but for work” is pretty common. Well, facebook must have been listening, because Facebook For Work is about to become a reality, one that could be a major disruption to the workplace communications and collaboration software landscape. If it succeeds, it will also have major applications to support learning and performance.

Learning styles: Research and Expert Opinion Slideshare by Chuck HodgesThe myth regarding the value of tailoring instruction to an individual’s personal learning style continues to persist in the education field. Last week, I saw a a new post promoting the myth surface online, reigniting the debate. This slide deck was shared in the exchanges, and I think it’s a great resource for anyone that is interested in educationg themselves in the research around this topic. It’s only 12 slides, but it references a number of excellent topics on the subject.

11 Smart Marketing Examples That Nail Visual Content by Sujan PatelVisuals are an important part of elearning design, so it’s important to explore the various ways visuals can be used. This post examines 11 great examples of visual content used for marketing. In addition to sharing the visuals themselves, the author also explores the context of what makes each visual effective in engaging the audience.

This is the Year Virtual Reality Changes Everything by David CornishYou’ve likely heard about the pending emergence of virtual reality as a major content platform. I’ve shared some resources pointing to that in this blog. I share this post to put some context and history to that conversation. This post does a very good job of backing up the assertion that VR is about to explode, and also gives a glimpse into what that emergence will look like.

What are you reading?

If you have an article, blog post, or other resource that you think others in our community should read, please feel free to send it to me along with a few sentences describing why you think the resource is valuable. Your link may be featured in a Community Curation highlight in a future post! Until next week!

David Kelly is the Executive Vice President and Executive Director for The eLearning Guild’s face-to-face events and conferences. Prior to joining The eLearning Guild he has been an internal learning and performance consultant and training director for over 10 years in both the financial services and non-profit sectors. David has served as a local board member and national adviser to ASTD Chapters. He is active in the learning community, and often speaks at industry conferences and events. In 2011, the eLearning Council voted him one of the 10 most influential eLearning bloggers for his blog, “Misadventures in Learning.” He is also known for his curation efforts, especially related to conferences and events for learning and performance professionals.

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Welcome to the eLearning Guild Blog

TWIST is the official blog of The eLearning Guild. Posts on this blog will offer insights, ideas, perspectives, and discussion on the current trends in the learning industry, the technologies used to support learning and performance, happenings at the Guild, tips for professional development, and much more. Each post will include the personal ‘twist’ of the writers, including members of the Guild team and guest bloggers from the Guild community.